Students and people take part in the Fridays For Future rally in Piazza del Popolo in Rome on April 19, 2019, to demand action to prevent further global warming and climate change.
"Leading climate scientists told world leaders that the 1.5C temperature limit is a vital threshold and real number for the planet's climate, not a political construct to be discussed.
Johan Rockström, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, made the statement when world leaders are meeting in Rome and Glasgow to discuss global warming.
Rockström warned that the 1.5C target is not like other political debates that can be compromised. He insisted that it is a planetary boundary and every fraction of a degree more is dangerous, reported The Guardian.
"1.5C indicates a physical limit to the warming the planet can safely absorb. This is real science. We can say that with a high degree of confidence," said Rockström. He added that staying within 1.5C is achievable.
If the planet's temperature rises beyond 1.5C, it will lead to irreversible damages including the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and rise of sea level. As the Arctic's reflective ice plays a key role in absorbing water, the planet's climate will enter a disastrous loop that can rapidly raise the temperature further.
One of the world's foremost climate scientists told The Guardian that crossing the 1.5C mark will lead to irreversible changes in the Gulf Stream that will in turn result in the destruction of biodiversity hotspots and agricultural lands. Small islands and low-lying coastal areas will also be under threat.
Mark Maslin, a professor of Earth systems science at University College London and Joeri Rogelj, the director of research at the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London also agreed with Rockström's statements and warned of similar risks.